My Family, My Strength
It was the time of the week again. In fact, barring any unforeseen development, she would have to go through it three times a week – kidney dialysis, that is. Her small hands grasped the armrests of her wheelchair as she steadied herself. Arthritis had caused her fingers to be painfully gnarled and unnaturally curved. She clenched her teeth as she tried to summon strength to stand up from her wheelchair. Her right hand reached for the side of her dialysis chair for support, as she slowly transferred herself with the aid of a caregiver. Only in recent times that the tremble in her hands became more obvious. Her Parkinson’s disease had worsened. “‘老人病’ or ‘old person’s illness’”, she tittered.
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